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Q&A About Community Tourism Planning and DevelopmentOrganizing
Building support means creating an understanding of the contributions a tourism plan can make to the local economy and quality of life. Through a series of information meetings, bring interested individuals together and decide on the major purpose of the organization. Prepare a mission statement and begin to discuss the relationship of the organization to local Chambers of Commerce, economic development corporations, and other groups with similar or related purposes. Have joint meetings with the directors of these other groups and define the relationships, respective roles, and areas of cooperation. Don't compete with one another, but instead, complement and support each other's efforts. Build public and private support for the organization and the economic benefits of tourism to rural communities. Deliver informational presentations to local civic organizations, recreation clubs, historic societies, government boards, and other interested groups. Building support means creating an understanding in the community or region of the contributions that a well-thought-out and implemented tourism plan can make to the local economy and quality of life. It is necessary to build a foundation of understanding before requesting financial support. Soon after the organization has been formed, begin to work on a strategy for the development of tourism in the region. At the very least the strategy should include an inventory of attractions and support services, identification of prospective target markets, proposed promotional projects, and methods of funding specific activities and projects. The strategy can be developed by a small working group, but should be presented publicly for comment and suggestions. The strategy becomes a tool for building support and raising funds. It shows that the organization has thought about what it wants to do and has gone through a conscious process to develop its strategy. The strategy can be used to show where a specific project or activity fits into the whole when requesting funds. Forming a new tourism organization relates to keeping people interested in the process. It may be necessary to implement a short-term promotional project as evidence that the group is actually doing something to generate tourism. Not everyone appreciates the value of building support in the community and developing a well-thought-out strategy. A short term, simple, and easily attainable project will produce a result that will satisfy those who are not process-oriented. Don't underestimate the power of occasional small successes to keep the momentum going. If this project is undertaken primarily by volunteers, you should realistically plan on two years before the organization is up and running. Be patient and nurturing and eventually it will thrive.
Keys to developing support for multi-community
efforts:
Patrick T. Long and Jonelle Nuckolls
The area tourism council is then led through a strategic planning process with an outside facilitator such as a Cooperative Extension Service tourism specialist from the University. The facilitator describes the tourism delivery system, and community weaknesses and strengths are identified. Don't let potential conflicts build; sort out community differences while they are still small. Consensus is reached on major issues and they are ranked by importance. Issues are then identified as having long-term and short-term objectives. Committees are organized around the five to six major issues with representation from each of the communities. Committees develop a set of workable objectives as the basis for an action plan. At this point, new people may be brought into the process as emergent resource needs are identified. Thomas J. Wood, Consultant Community Values
Being able to clearly articulate your community's values is important because the more in sync individuals are with one another, the easier the collective decision-making will be. Values in small communities take several forms. They may reflect the relationship to the land. For instance, in some places views of the landscape are highly treasured: distant mountain peaks, a broad expanse of water, or sweeping desert vistas. Buildings or development of any sort which impairs a view definitely causes uneasiness leading to conflict. In other places, privacy is highly valued, and wooded surroundings or border fencing become the norm. In such a place, tourists may cause uneasiness by exploring the neighborhoods. Community values may also reflect a unique relationship to time. It may be a spur-of-the-moment celebration of the season. For example, people in cold climates consider it their due to make a mass exodus from work on the first sunny day of spring. A unique relationship with time might surface during the harvest season when farmers have no time for anything but the work at hand. Conflict may occur if nonfarming segments of the community expect the usual warm hospitality towards tourists. Community values may reflect people relationships. Many small town residents cite friendliness and neighborliness but may have their own unique definition. Neighborliness may mean that the entire community will come to the rescue in time of emergency and friendliness may mean the town is still small enough to walk from one end of the business district to the other, visiting with folks along the way. Any disruption of this pattern can cause conflict. Being able to clearly articulate your community's values is important because the more in sync individuals are with one another, the easier the collective decision-making will be. Values are not something people are clear about, though they often know more at a gut level than they realize. Things will become more clear if you can temporarily set aside the emphasis on the economic worth of activities and places, and instead focus on heart and soul benefits. To do this, it's important to move past a conversation made up of buzzwords and find a way to talk about unfamiliar feelings. Mapping the Heart and Soul of a Community The sacred structure is made up of places that exemplify, typify, and reinforce the everyday life patterns and special rituals of community life. Mapping the heart and soul is one approach to identifying values. In this process, community members identify the heart of the community, those places which keep the lifeblood flowing, and the soul, the life force without which residents would no longer want or be able to live there. They discuss what's really important and become so focused on reaching a consensus that they forget to defend their outdated and rigid beliefs. This process allows residents to see their community with new eyes. These discussions are used for later economic decision-making. For instance, a community which identifies open space as a prime value may find ways to establish strategically placed parks and pathways. A community which values personal privacy may take steps to confine tourism activities to the main business district and not encourage historical walks through the neighborhoods. Identifying the Sacred StructureIdentifying a community's sacred structure is another approach. The sacred structure is made up of places that exemplify, typify, and reinforce the everyday life patterns and special rituals of community life. These usually are "the humble places . . . the familiar, the homey and the homely." The sites are selected through a research process which includes personal interviews, a newspaper survey, and behavior mapping. Behavior mapping is a record of the normal daily movement of people, noting where people congregate, what happens at what time, and what causes change. Once sites which make up the sacred structure are identified, they are marked by red hearts on a street map. In some communities, residents have felt so strongly about the newly identified sacred structure that they are willing to sacrifice economic gain to save those places because they have a higher value than dollars. Whatever technique is used, be sure that:
Surveys by themselves are not the best tool to initiate a process to identify community values. Surveys are only one potential tool in any effort to identify community values. Most values you identify that will be useful in the tourism development process are vague and poorly defined. It takes group discussion, reflection, and time, to think through what is important to a community. Surveys by themselves are not the best tool to initiate a process to identify community values. When possible, use surveys after the initial value identification is complete. Do not add value questions to another survey. Use a separate survey with three or four simple questions and include probing open-ended questions. These open-ended questions can find issues and attitudes you may miss with close-ended, yes/no questions. Surveys are a good way to develop quantifiable data on community values. Start with committee and public meetings to allow all citizens to voice ideas and concerns. Patrick T. Long and Jonelle Nuckolls
This kind of effort requires some formal survey work and generally does not directly measure values. Some of the recent U.S. Travel and Tourism reports include an approach similar to what is described above. This would be the easy way to get an example and possibly a list of characteristics that could be used. Joseph T. O'Leary Planning
Failure to restrict or control development is a local growth problem, not solely a tourism issue. Private enterprise is responsible for most of the business related to tourism. Many of the businesses, whether tourism related or not, are interested primarily in a profit. The attractions which draw visitors to the area create a market large enough to support numerous businesses. The nature of the businesses that develop around any market will depend upon the initiative of the entrepreneur and the environment for business. In many communities a carnival environment develops because community leaders have failed to plan, not because of tourism. They have failed to plan for what they want and as a result others have dictated the businesses. Planning includes control as much as promotion. Failure to restrict or control development is a local growth problem, not solely a tourism issue. Glenn Weaver
A strategic plan calls for land use management, zoning, and other controls to preserve and protect the local quality of life. A community should use a strategic planning process to chart the development path. A written plan should be the final product to guide the tourism developers. The first step in developing this plan should focus on building community consensus and creating a vision of how the community is perceived. Equally important is what the community wants to share with visitors and what effect that will have on the residents. Once these decisions are made, goals, objectives, actions, and strategies can be developed. Tourism management is just as important as tourism marketing. A strategic plan may call for land use management, zoning, and other controls that preserve and protect the local quality of life. For example, in Lindsborg, Kansas, they preserve their Scandinavian heritage through strict zoning that controls the color, texture, and appearance of all signs and storefronts. The regulations that demand natural materials and prohibit neon have been in effect for over twenty years and now include the outlying businesses, as well as the downtown area. In addition, their marketing efforts focus on the traditions in crafts, foods, and lifestyle of the original Swedish settlers. Comprehensive planning has resulted in amenities that attract visitors, while providing the local residents with good restaurants, art galleries, and shops that contribute to a pleasing quality of life. Only community leadership can determine whether uncontrolled development that permits any type of business or building is acceptable. The tourism industry can be guided to create services and jobs that benefit local citizens while sharing that which attracts visitors who will not only spend money, but will also respect the community values that will be evident if careful planning has been done. René Campbell
I suggest holding a public forum using the procedure outlined in Take Charge, produced by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. The community must come to a consensus on what its preferred future should be. Once your goals have been identified and prioritized, use the information in A Training Guide for Rural Tourism Development from the Tourism Center of the Minnesota Extension Service. The importance of basing tourism development on local values and authenticity is stressed throughout this book. A local Extension agent may be able to facilitate planning sessions.
Input from the community is vital throughout the planning process if plans are to receive the support needed to succeed. While a survey of resident attitudes toward tourism development would be helpful early in the planning process, it may consume so much energy and time that you have difficulty sustaining interest to move forward on planning. Good surveys are hard work, often taxing the patience of the committees that work on them. In the not-so-tidy real world of tourism planning, deciding when to conduct a community survey will depend on when the questions arise. Planning Your Survey Think of your objective when planning your survey. If you want to be very certain about tourism development opinions held by various community constituents, you will need a scientific approach using random sampling. If you just want a general understanding of the range of opinions that exist about tourism, you may choose to simply talk to representatives of different community segments (seniors, professionals, merchants, elected officials, etc.) keeping some notes as you go. In between these two ends of the continuum there are many possibilities, including inviting residents to respond to a survey which is printed in the local newspaper or conducting focus groups. Sue Sadowske
The central issue with any survey is identifying what you need to find out. The methods for soliciting planning input may take several forms, including a survey of community residents. Methods other than a survey, however, may be more appropriate depending on the stage of the planning process. For example, a community survey would be helpful in identifying the broad range of development issues important to residents that, in turn, would help define the initial scope of the planning effort. An open house or workshop is often a good way to solicit public input on specific ideas or issues, such as a draft plan, which may require extensive discussion or explanation. A focus group or citizen advisory panel may provide adequate input to track how the implementation of a plan is going, as perceived by community residents. The last two methods are a much faster and cheaper way to gather input, which can add to their usefulness as long as their limitations for capturing representative, community-wide input is kept in mind. Denver Hospodarsky
Low-cost professional assistance is available
from: Your county Extension office probably has some area or state specialists who can assist your local group. State tourism offices or economic development departments should also have staff members who can assist you. A retired Extension specialist or state tourism staff member often will provide their expertise for the price of travel expenses. It is important to involve local owners and managers of motels, resorts, campgrounds, or attractions and Chamber of Commerce executives. They are excellent resources to tap. If all else fails, plan a program to create local experts. A study tour to areas that have successful tourism programs can provide ideas you can tailor to fit your needs. On a more formal basis, several Midwestern states (Michigan, Minnesota) have put potential movers and shakers through customized training, seminars, and group dialogue (for example, 40 hours of participation in one year) specifically to develop and hone tourism leadership skills. Don Schink
The best procedure to secure professional help is to organize your project into distinctive topics such as planning, arts, and cultural/historic preservation. Seek help on a topical basis rather than for the total project. Examples of federal agencies or organizations that will help if it relates to their expertise include:
Glenn Weaver
Organize your project into distinctive topics and seek help on a topical basis rather than for the total project. Small Town Institute Their journal, Small Town, includes case studies on innovative approaches to better quality of life, downtown redevelopment, historic preservation, and occasionally tourism. Heartland Center for Leadership Development Under the umbrella of resources for community survival, this independent nonprofit organization presents programs in leadership training, capacity building, strategic planning, assisting policymakers, and research. Recent publications include Clues to Rural Community Survival, Seven Secrets to Coping with Change in Small Towns, The Entrepreneurial Community, and Ten Ideas for Recruiting New Leaders. Center for Neighborhood Technology The Center for Neighborhood Technology works on building alternative visions for the city through community organizing. Although specifically geared for an urban audience, the organization publishes an excellent and practical magazine The Neighborhood Works: Resources for Urban Communities. Recent articles such as "Tourism-Big Business, But Not For Everyone," "Music, Tourism and Local Development," and "Sustainable Cities: Where Do We Start and Where are We Going?" demonstrate a commitment to the viability of small-scale development. These groups provide a continuous supply of fresh ideas that can help fill information gaps and set a development agenda for the local tourism group. Rural Information Center (RIC) RIC publishes comprehensive bibliographies at no charge, occasionally on tourism-specific topics such as:
Barb Koth Environment and Tourism
Tourism environments are a mix of natural and built, personal and collective, social and cultural, technological, ecological, and aesthetic. Environmental education, therefore, does not take place only in schools or in structured programs focused on the environment or nature, but takes place around every person every day as they live and work in their environment. We simply cannot separate people from their environment. The United Nations Environmental Education program defines the environment as both natural and built, personal and collective, social and cultural, technological, ecological, and aesthetic. Tourism environments are a mix of all these and thus are ideal settings for environmental education. Packaging Unique Environmental Features Tourism development can have many undesirable environmental impacts. When environmental concerns are not taken into consideration in tourism development and the resource base is negatively impacted, environmental education is not taking place. However, when local people are involved in environmentally sound tourism development decisions, they not only become knowledgeable about how the environment works and about environmental and other problems arising from tourism development, but they are provided the opportunity to take appropriate action to protect both the environment and their tourism industry. Both tourism and environmental education efforts benefit from this approach. Maureen McDonough
In rural areas the environment is a major attraction that must be conserved for the future. Used carefully, it is a way to attract visitors and provide a satisfying visitor experience. A good starting point would be to set up a local group bringing together key members of the tourism industry. These might include environmentalists, naturalists, and staff of the county or other local planning commission. This group should begin to understand each other's needs and aspirations. It should be able to agree on which parts of the local environment should be conserved at all costs, and how visitors can be introduced to the environmental delights of the area in such a way that they will learn from and cherish that experience. If the group is to be successful, each part of the tourism triangle (tourists, the industry, and environmentalists) must feel that they are benefitting from the group's work. In the long run a good environment will keep the visitors coming. Environmental Awareness Local people should always bear in mind that environmental features which they take for granted are often very special to the visitor. On a recent visit to northern Canada, my family was thrilled to watch the work of a beaver. To the locals, however, beavers were at best a bore, at worst a pest. Local people should always bear in mind that environmental features which they take for granted are often very special to the visitor. Understanding brings awareness, and from awareness comes concern. When concern exists, then active participation is a possibility. Visitors may join a local group, helping both lobby for and fund improvements. Visitors can also work directly. On the Greek Ionian Islands, a group of tour operators and visitors have formed The Friends of the Ionians. While on vacation they devote one or two days to clearing litter, tree planting, and other simple environmental work. Visitors enjoy these working days enormously, partly because the physical work is very attractive to many desk-bound employees. The social aspect is equally important. The tourism industry can support environmental awareness directly by contributing in kind or in cash. One British tour company contributed the equivalent of 30 cents per visitor night to environmental funds, so long as their contribution was matched by the equivalent of the U.S. National Parks organization in Britain. This provided useful marketing and public relations opportunities for the firm, especially when improvements they had funded were officially opened. Even very large, mass market operators can help. Eurocamp, European camp site operators with over 100 locations, have very carefully developed policy for the environment, with special attention to encouraging involvement by children and adults.
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